Jeffrey Bryant
Jeffrey Bryant is a Welsh wardrobe designer, who has worked with musical acts including Duran Duran, Tina Turner, George Michael, Mick Jagger, Pet Shop Boys and Westlife. Biography For the first four years of his career, Jeffrey Bryant worked in a steel works in his native South Wales. After moving to London at the height of the Blitz scene he started making clothes for the nightclub elite. Dressing the gogo boys, drag queens, and club promoters who guaranteed him free entry and invites to all the parties and clubs. 25 years later he dresses the icons of the entertainment business, which includes creating special pieces for George Michael and Mick Jagger. His clothes have been seen in videos for Steps, Basement Jax, Bananarama, Transvision Vamp, Atb, Duece, East 17 and Westlife. His work has featured in the nightclub scenes in the films Judge Dredd and Hackers, TV commercials include: Siemens phones, Ford, Citroen, Listerine, Mcdonalds, Walls, Cornetto, Boddingtons beer, Vodafone and Fedex. He has also appeared in 8 pop videos, 2 commercials and 3 films. Duran Duran Jeffrey has been Duran Duran's wardrobe designer since late 2003 and became part of the Duran tour-family, also featuring in the behind the scenes footaged added to the 2005 Live from London DVD. He first worked with Duran at the Fashion Rocks show on 15 October 2003 at the Albert Hall in London (UK), where the band performed one song "Girls on Film" and wore a mix of Donna Karan clothing with their own clothes. Jeffrey was recommended for the wardrobe designers job by tour manager James Monkman and first saw the band play live at the Astoria in 1981, the same day they did the first Top of the Pops show. Even though he had a few mutual friends he never met the band before working for them. Jeffrey Bryant comments Each tour is different. For the ''The Astronaut Tour'', the band were given a lot of clothing from different companies. These outfits are then edited down into looks that work onstage. It's my job to fill in the blanks. Each band member has a slightly different look. You could call The Astronaut Tour 'The Black Suits with Sequin Detail Tour'. With The Red Carpet Massacre Tour, How it started... Nick had a fantastic Juicy Couture jacket, in a black shiny fabric with military pockets. It was decided that the whole band would get these jackets, and have them printed, each band member would have a slightly different design. All incorporating the Red Carpet Massacre graphics, with splashes of blood. They were screen printed in Los Angele then the blood splatters and additional graphics added by Patty Palazzo, who also helps John with the design on some of the Juicy t-shirts. Underneath they had a choice of two shirts, either black or white, again each band member with a different design, using blood splatters and slogans from the album. Accesorized with a tie, splooged with blood splatters and graffiti. The whole look is an homage to the punk era. References to the Clash and original Sex and Seditionaries clothing. Then for the electro set, they changed into black satin suits with narrow leather or pvc ties, again all from Juicy Couture. Then John got the silver sneakers from Onitsuka/Tiger. This look influenced by the Anthony Price suits they wore during the early eighties fits the mood for the electro set. At the SkyArts Songbook show the guys didn't wear the usual RCM jackets (with RCM logos, paint splatters and graffiti) but they opted for a dark grey three piece suit. The grey suits the band wore for the SkyArts Songbook show were from Juicy Couture designed by Laura Anthony. They were actually made for the Mark Ronson (Experience Paris) show in Paris. Most suits we buy, I alter in some way. With the satin suits for the electro set, they were square cut boxy suits, with no pads. I put big pads in all the jackets, then slimmed the sleeves in as narrow as i could, they have to be able to move and perform in them. That's a priority. Because the Red Carpet Massacre shirts are hand painted, they have to hand washed, the dry-cleaners won't touch them. My ironing record is 22 shirts in one day, if we couldn't wash things on some days it means I have more the next day, on festival sites in the middle of fields, there is often no running water. And the nearest dry cleaners can be 20 miles away. But its 90 degrees, I am working outdoors. I laugh out loud and shake with excitement, I just love my job so much!. A minimum ironing day, for Red Carpet tour was 6 pairs of jeans, 11 shirts, 3 t shirts, 5 military jackets, 4 satin jackets. A selection of credits contributed clothing to the following tours : *Pet Shop Boys - Discovery Tour 1994 *Rolling Stones - Voodoo Lounge Tour 1994 *Rolling Stones - Bridges To Babylon 1997 *George Michael - Net Aid Show 1999 *Tina Turner - Millenium Tour 2000 *Westlife - Dreams Come True 2000 *Duran Duran - ''The Astronaut Tour'' 2004/05 *Duran Duran - ''The Red Carpet Massacre Tour'' 2007/08 Category:Wardrobe designers